Rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Taylor Swift is back with her tell-all album Speak Now. In her third effort, Swift, known for speaking her mind, takes things to a much more personal level.
The song “Dear John” is a prime example of her fearlessness in expressing her thoughts on a past relationship gone wrong. The somber song is rumored to be about former flame John Mayer, in which Swift’s heartbreak is felt through the hauntingly beautiful wails in the song. Other songs such as “Mean,” “Back To December” and “Better Than Revenge” also address specific un-named
individuals such as a harsh critic, a person Swift hurt and never apologized to and a girl who stole her boyfriend, respectively.
“Innocent,” already widely known from Swift’s performance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards this past September, was inspired by rapper Kanye West and the incident that occurred between the two stars at last year’s awards show. However, Swift uses this song to forgive West and shows her hope to move on from the situation in peace.
The title track, “Speak Now,” is a fun, enjoyable song, although not as catchy as “Mine” and “Better Than Revenge” which are easily the best songs of the album. “Mine” debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one for Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs back in August. The introductory song has that
familiar Swift feel that listeners love, while “Better Than Revenge” is more bold and gutsy for the singer.
As great as the album is, Speak Nowsounds like any other Swift album. It is exactly what a fan would expect from the artist: sparkles, fantasy, naivety, teen angst and heartbreak. While the album doesn’t seem particularly unique, Swift deserves recognition for writing the album entirely on her own.
There is also a deluxe version of the album which features a few more songs such as “Ours,” “Superman” and the acoustic versions of “Haunted” and “Back to December.”
If craving that familiar, fun and catchy sound from Swift, listen to Speak Now.Music fans are bound to love this album, which is definitely worth a listen.
